The Chicago Bears In-Season Preview: Special Teams

There is no doubt about the fact that the Bears have had some of the best special teams play in the NFL for the past few seasons and there have been many times in many games where Chicago’s special teams have meant the difference between a win and a loss.  Chicago has made some changes to its special teams unit however and these changes may cause it to be less of a game changing unit.

The following is a look at each player on special teams for the Bears in 2009 (the kickers and return specialists).  There is a quick look back at what they did in 2008, how they performed in the preseason and how they look for the 2008 season.

Robbie Gould-Gould is one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL and is dead on at Soldier Field and this has helped the Bears out immensely.  He performed very well in 2008 and won a few games with his leg and will probably get some additional opportunities this season.  He had a great training camp and was dead on in preseason so this should be another great year for one of the highest paid kickers in football.  The length of his kickoffs is of some concern but Gould is working hard on that and it shouldn’t be a problem in 2009.

Brad Maynard-Maynard, one of the oldest players in the NFL, still has a lot of leg left in him and is one of the most valued punters in the NFL.  He should have made the Pro Bowl in 2008 (and almost did) as his directional kicking has helped keep opponents at bay.  Maynard is irreplaceable and should have yet another good season punting for the Bears and help them win the battle for field position.

Devin Hester-Hester is being relegated to returning punts only and if the preseason is any indication of how things might go for him this season, we could see a return to form for Hester.  Hester didn’t have any punt return touchdowns in 2008 but with some opportunities this season, he should get a couple returns for touchdowns which will only serve to help the Bears.  Teams also tend to kick away from Hester, sacrificing field position in lieu of having him run back a punt for a touchdown.  With Hester back there anything is possible.

Danieal Manning-The Bears experimented with putting Manning back on kickoff returns and it paid dividends in 2008.  Manning not only ran a kick back but also had the highest average yards per return in the NFL last season.  Manning is an excellent athlete but, like Hester, he has another job that he has to do (playing safety) and thus this might affect his ability to return kickoffs but if the Bears keep his reps down on defense and keep him fresh for returns, he should have a pretty productive season.  However, as he moves into a more permanent role on defense, he will probably see his kickoff return duties reduced.

Johnny Knox-Knox is going to be used on kickoff returns much more often now that Daniel Manning is going to be returning more kickoffs now that the Bears are going to use Manning more on defense and also because Knox has great speed and could have a ton of success running back kicks especially with a special teams unit like the Bears.  Knox could have a lot of success this season. 

Patrick Mannelly-Mannelly is one of the most steady long snappers in the NFL and has served the Bears very well during his long stint with the team.  In 2008, Mannelly was rock solid and he will remain so in 2009 as long as he stays healthy.  Look for him to continue his solid play in 2009 but look towards retiring in a year or two.  The Bears need to start thinking about his replacement soon.

The Bears have traditionally had great special teams thanks to their coordinator, Dave Toub, and his ability to plug players in and make things work.  With two of his key performers being moved to starting roles (Hunter Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach) special teams coach Dave Toub will have to find other players who have the ability to perform well on special teams.  He should be able to do this though as he has been doing it ever since he got to Chicago.